Empathic Communication Personal Statement

In conclusion effective communication with children, young people and adults is fundamental to developing relationships. It should be remembered that whilst it is important for me to communicate effectively with others it is equally important for me to listen to others to further develop the relationships I have.

Family is something that plays a tremendous role in our life. Even though the structure of families has changed over the years, it is important to acknowledge that there many families out there whether they are traditional families, nuclear family, stepfamilies or others which tend to have different types of problems in their families. Therefore, many families attempt to go to family therapy in order for them to obtain help in solving the different types of issues they might have at home. As stated in the book Family Therapy by Michael P. Nichols (2013), “The power of family therapy derives from bringing parents and children together to transform their interaction… What keeps people stuck in their inability to see their own participation in the problems that plague them. With eyes fixed firmly on what recalcitrant others are doing, it’s hard for most people to see the patterns that bind them together. The family therapist’s job is to give them a wake-up call” (2013).

As previously discussed, we will concentrate our findings based on three communication concepts; empathy and empathic communication, self-disclosure, emotions and social influences of emotion.

Interpersonal Communication Competence is defined as constantly communicating in a way that is effective, appropriate, and ethical (McCornack, 2016). When a person is communicating competently, they are following social norms, are able to accomplish their goals, and treating persons in an unbiased manner. In my paper I will be discussing my own interpersonal communication competence and the evaluations that I, and my close companions, have made about my ability to communicate proficiently. I will begin my essay by explaining what effective and appropriate communication consists of, and follow up with my argument on how effective and appropriate I am in my interpersonal relationships. As I continue I will examine my empathy and why I am strong in this aspect of communication, followed by my deliberation of my conversation management and why I am weak in this category and how I could possibly improve. As I near the conclusion of my paper I will focus on my interpersonal communication motivation, knowledge, and skills. After reporting my scores in each category I will reflect on my skills, my lowest score, and explore why I am poorest at this quality and how I can grow in my capabilities. Overall I am a competent communicator, but enhancements can be made in my conversation management, effectiveness and skills in order to build up my competence.

Interpersonal communication is how individuals connect with one another, and is a necessary skill for anyone that desires to build harmony, demonstrate respect, diffuse and solve problems, and build meaningful and mutual relationships. This course has allowed me to better understand how and why I communicate the way I do, as well as ways to improve my communication skills and be more cognizant of the functions and repercussions of communication. I learned that communication is about more than what is spoken. It also includes nonverbal cues as well as role schemas. Through studying situations and tendencies in relationships, this class has provided me with life knowledge that will contribute to the success and benefit of current and future

Growing up, I was extremely fortunate to have a parent who embodied all of the characteristics listed in Carol Stuart’s “Foundations of Child and Youth Care” including passion, caring, space and time, and social competence. My mother has always been my main role model, caregiver, friend, and always treated me with the upmost respect and patience, and together we built a relationship based on trust and mutual appreciation. We would often go on long walks together, using this as a therapeutic milieu for storytelling and the cultivation of unbiased advice. For me, it was important to analyze the world outside of my own head and share in the mutual struggles of daily life with someone who understood or, at the very least listened, as I analyzed, experienced, and complained about the world. For the better part of my life, I did not see this as therapeutic or its relation to child and youth work, rather assuming all parents were capable of , and expressed, this kind of love to some degree. However, it was only by watching my friends wrestle with issues such as depression, anxiety, and body image that I realized the isolation and loneliness that can easily overcome a person without a proper role model or guidance and more importantly, that this presence is not guaranteed in everyone’s life. Through experiences with my friends and mother, I am familiar with being on either side of a therapeutic situation, acknowledged the vital role of it in personal development and decided to

Bateson’s work on double-blind communication influenced many therapists to begin to think of communication from a different view (Madanes, 1981) According to Bateson, families become trapped in dysfunctional patterns when they cling to solutions that don’t work (Haley, & Richeport-Haley, 2003). Madanes states that, “The approach suggests that the interchange of messages between people defines relationships, and these relationships are stabilized by homeostatic processes in the form of actions of family members within the family” (Madanes, 1981).

Now that you get a warm and fuzzy feeling ont some of the steps to start a better way to communicate with each other we next must look at developing strategies for an active, critical, and empathic listening skills.

1. From Martins story, I learned that Communication is what makes us human, by enabling us to tell our own stories, express warmth, needs, desires, and also hear those of others. True communication is more than just physically relaying a message, but also about getting that message heard and respected. The piece made it clear that although verbal communication is very important, non-verbal communication (e.g. smiling) is just as effective as verbal communication in facilitating healing. Communication enables us to express ourselves, ideas and make decisions. Likewise, proper communication techniques are essential in getting a job, education, and in securing a better life. Communication promotes openness, honesty and assertiveness which boosts

Communications Theory is a therapeutic modality that can be used as an intervention in family therapy settings. Developed by the well-respected family therapist, Virginia Satir, the concepts and techniques behind Communications Theory have earned much respect amongst therapists worldwide. Satir focused on the importance of establishing and maintaining clear channels of communication to improve the lives of families who struggle with myriad challenges. She believed that families needed to be given ways to see hope more clearly. She also professed that the presenting problems may not be as important as the way in which people cope with the problems. More clearly, her focus was more on helping people gain hope through better communications skills which lead to more effective coping mechanisms (…).

Since the start of this class, I have been reminded again and again that the concepts we are learning can be applied to everyday life. For instance, when we talked about non-verbal communication, I realized that it is impossible to not communicate. There are many activities, other than the use of language, that allow us to draw meaning from something we observe. When my mother widens her eyes at me without stating a word, I understand she is telling me to think twice about the action I’m about to take. It has been great to be able to assign concepts and vocabulary to interpersonal relationships and communication activity that I have been experiencing. Now let me introduce you to my friend Izzy and her boyfriend Ken as I analyze the

Since I started this program and learned the importance of empathic response and open ended questions, I was able to focus on peoples behaviors by analyzing the content of their responses and body language while having a conversation. A coworker would usually smile and avoid eye contact when I ask him questions relating to his feelings about his current problems. Congruence is lacking at that moment and he is not willing to share vital information needed for me to start a dialogue and connect the dots. Today, I applied the exercise we have for this week to see the result. We spoke about the problems he is currently facing such as school, family, kids, and the upcoming trip to California this thanks giving. He seems overwhelmed and feels anxious

When I was an adolescent, I considered myself to be a shy, introverted person. Growing up, I had always admired my father’s adaptability through obstacles, but it wasn’t until high school that I discovered I had similar qualities of my own. During my sophomore year, my father was brought into the hospital for having five Abdominal Hernias as well as Hypertension, he was immediately brought into surgery and remained at the hospital for weeks. Each day, I visited my father at the hospital for hours and took care of my father's work at home. I also maintained my performance and reputation at school, balancing my many rigorous courses, as well as my multifarious extracurricular activities.

Communication is the process of gathering meaning from the world around us and using verbal and non-verbal messages to share this meaning with others. (Beebe, Beebe, and Redmond, 2005) More specifically, interpersonal communication can be defined as; “a distinctive, transactual form of human communication involving mutual influence, usually for the purpose of managing relation ships.” (Beebe, Beebe, and Redmond, 2005, p. 6) Interpersonal communication is extremely complex and encompasses many different themes and issues that affect many aspects of our daily lives. These

Despite some of the major improvements I need to make to my communication skills, I was also able to discover a few strengths I have with communicating. One of my major strengths is my ability to empathize with other people. My score for the empathy quotient assessment was above the average female score. I found this score to be relevant because I pick up easily on the way other people are feeling. I also easily can put myself into other people’s shoes and see things from their perspective. I experience the greatest joy in